| Title |
Isolation of a Neurotoxin (α-colubritoxin) from a Nonvenomous Colubrid: Evidence for Early Origin of Venom in Snakes
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Journal of Molecular Evolution, October 2003
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00239-003-2497-3 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Bryan G. Fry, Natalie G. Lumsden, Wolfgang Wüster, Janith C. Wickramaratna, Wayne C. Hodgson, R. Manjunatha Kini |
| Abstract |
The evolution of venom in advanced snakes has been a focus of long-standing interest. Here we provide the first complete amino acid sequence of a colubrid toxin, which we have called alpha-colubritoxin, isolated from the Asian ratsnake Coelognathus radiatus (formerly known as Elaphe radiata), an archetypal nonvenomous snake as sold in pet stores. This potent postsynaptic neurotoxin displays readily reversible, competitive antagonism at the nicotinic receptor. The toxin is homologous with, and phylogenetically rooted within, the three-finger toxins, previously thought unique to elapids, suggesting that this toxin family was recruited into the chemical arsenal of advanced snakes early in their evolutionary history. LC-MS analysis of venoms from most other advanced snake lineages revealed the widespread presence of components of the same molecular weight class, suggesting the ubiquity of three-finger toxins across advanced snakes, with the exclusion of Viperidae. These results support the role of venom as a key evolutionary innovation in the early diversification of advanced snakes and provide evidence that forces a fundamental rethink of the very concept of nonvenomous snake. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 200 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 6 | 3% |
| India | 3 | 2% |
| Brazil | 2 | 1% |
| Netherlands | 2 | 1% |
| United Kingdom | 2 | 1% |
| New Zealand | 1 | <1% |
| Mexico | 1 | <1% |
| France | 1 | <1% |
| Denmark | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 3 | 2% |
| Unknown | 178 | 89% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 43 | 22% |
| Student > Bachelor | 36 | 18% |
| Researcher | 21 | 11% |
| Student > Master | 17 | 9% |
| Other | 16 | 8% |
| Other | 48 | 24% |
| Unknown | 19 | 10% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 133 | 67% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 14 | 7% |
| Environmental Science | 12 | 6% |
| Chemistry | 5 | 3% |
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 3 | 2% |
| Other | 10 | 5% |
| Unknown | 23 | 12% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 9. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 07 June 2023.
All research outputs
#3,511,880
of 23,943,619 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Molecular Evolution
#152
of 1,471 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#5,353
of 53,769 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Molecular Evolution
#3
of 9 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,943,619 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 84th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,471 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.5. This one has done well, scoring higher than 87% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 53,769 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 86% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 9 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has scored higher than 6 of them.